In the previous electrode designs described in the cross-references, alkaline metals and alkaline earth metals are transferred to the surface of a carrier insulation tape and hermetically sealed with a metallized tape which also acts as the electrode conductor. The tape is then wound on cassette reels or folded in accordion fashion for placement in dispensing magazines. The cassettes or magazines are then inserted in an Electrolytic Fuel Cell, hereinafter referred to as the EFC cell. The EFC cell tape feed circuit passes the tape under a pin wheel roller operating in an aqueous electrolyte solution within the EFC cell cathode compartment. The pin wheel punctures the cover tape exposing the alkaline material to the electrolyte creating by their reaction an electrical current flow between the cathode and anode circuits of the EFC cell.
In the present invention a perforated tape is placed upon the alkaline material on the carrier insulation directly under, and in full contact with, the cover tape. Just prior to the introduction of the electrode into the electrolyte, or shortly thereafter, the cover stripper tape is stripped from the electrode allowing the electrolyte to react with the alkaline material through the perforations of the perforated tape. The cover tape is hereinafter called the cover stripper tape. The use of the cover stripper tape negates the need of a pin wheel perforating mechanism in operation of the EFC cell greatly simplifying the design.
In the cross references it has been found that the most efficient method of electric energy storage is by electrolytic reduction of alkali metal salts and alkaline earth metals which in their reduced state are called ‘active metals’. The principle of Active Metal Electric Storage, called AMES storage, is based upon the first law of thermodynamics as it applies to the conservation of electron exchange occurring in the chemical reversibility of electrolysis and subsequent hydrolysis of the active metal yielding in the net energy release an electrochemical equivalent flow in the balanced transformation. The energy release in amp-hours per pound in the hydrolysis reaction, neglecting efficiency losses, is equal to the electrochemical equivalent weight of the electrode material undergoing hydrolysis in the cathode reaction chamber of the EFC cell.